Queer Theories An Introduction

This is a short and accessible introduction to the complex and evolving debates around queer theories, advocating for their critical role in academia and society. The book traces the roots of queer theories and argues that Foucault owed an important debt to other European authors including the feminist and homosexual liberation movements of the 1960–1970s and the anticolonial movements of the 1950s. Going beyond a simple introduction to queer theories, this book situates them firmly in a European and Italian context to offer a crucial set of arguments in defence of LGBTQI+ rights, in defence of the freedom of teaching and research, and in defence of a radical idea of democracy. The narrative of the book is divided into three short chapters which can be read independently or in sequence. The first chapter argues that queer theories are rooted in the critical philosophical tradition, the second presents a critique of heterosexism and the binary inherent to the gender-sex-sexual orientation system, and the third chapter sketches a history of the queer debate. The book offers a useful typology of queer theories by sorting them into three basic paradigms: Freudo-Marxism, radical constructivism, and antisocial and affective theories, clarifying the complexities of the nature of the debates for undergraduates. The book is both accessible and original, and is suitable for both specialist researchers and undergraduate students new to queer studies. It will be essential reading for those studying philosophy, sexuality studies and gender studies.

This essential introductory guide explores and aggressively expands the provocative new field of sexual identity studies. It explains the history of sexual identity categories, such as 'gay' and 'lesbian', covers the reclamation of 'queer' as a term of radical self-identification, and details recent challenges to sexual identity studies posed by transgender and bisexual theories. Donald E. Hall offers concrete applications of the abstract theories he explores, with imaginative new readings of such works as 'The Yellow Wallpaper', Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Orlando and The Color Purple. Throughout, Hall urges the reader to grapple with the changing nature of sexual identity in the twenty-first century and asks searching questions about how we might identify ourselves differently given new technologies and new possibilities for sexual experimentation. To students, theorists and activists alike, Queer Theories issues a challenge to continue to disrupt narrow, traditional notions of sexual 'normality' and to resist setting up new and confining categories of 'true' sexual identity.

This book begins by putting gay & lesbian sexuality and politics in historical context and demonstrates how and why queer theory emerged.

"In this one-stop, no-nonsense introduction to the work of postmodern sex and gender theorists, nationally known gender activist Riki Wilchins clearly explains the key ideas that have shaped contemporary sex and gender studies. Using straightforward prose and concrete examples from LGBT politics -- as well as her own life -- Wilchins makes thinkers like Derrida, Foucault, and Judith Butler easily accessible to students, activists, and others who are interested in some of the most compelling and divisive issues of the last 100 years. Additionally, Wilchins reports on the ways queer youths today are using the tools of queer theory and gender theory to reshape their world. This is that rare, invaluable book that connects postmodern theory to political passion, personal experience, and the patterns of everyday life."--Page 4 of cover.

This Major Reference series brings together a wide range of key international articles in law and legal theory. Many of these essays are not readily accessible, and their presentation in these volumes will provide a vital new resource for both research and teaching. Each volume is edited by leading international authorities who explain the significance and context of articles in an informative and complete introduction.

'Queer: A Graphic History Could Totally Change the Way You Think About Sex and Gender' Vice Activist-academic Meg-John Barker and cartoonist Jules Scheele illuminate the histories of queer thought and LGBTQ+ action in this groundbreaking non-fiction graphic novel. From identity politics and gender roles to privilege and exclusion, Queer explores how we came to view sex, gender and sexuality in the ways that we do; how these ideas get tangled up with our culture and our understanding of biology, psychology and sexology; and how these views have been disputed and challenged. Along the way we look at key landmarks which shift our perspective of what's 'normal' - Alfred Kinsey's view of sexuality as a spectrum, Judith Butler's view of gendered behaviour as a performance, the play Wicked, or moments in Casino Royale when we're invited to view James Bond with the kind of desiring gaze usually directed at female bodies in mainstream media. Presented in a brilliantly engaging and witty style, this is a unique portrait of the universe of queer thinking.

"This book puts International Relations scholarship and Queer Studies scholarship in conversation to tell a story about how sovereignty and sexuality are entangled in international relations theory and policy through numerous figurations of 'the homosexual' - as 'the underdeveloped', 'the un-developable', 'the unwanted im/migrant', 'the terrorist', 'the gay rights holder', 'the gay patriot' and Eurovision-winner Conchita Wurst's 'bearded lady'"--

Queer Studies is designed as an advanced undergraduate textbook in queer studies for this rapidly growing field. It is also appropriate as a required or recommended graduate textbook. The author uses the overarching concept of queering as a way of looking at the lives of queer people across a range of disciplines.

The last five years have witnessed the birth of a vibrant new group of young scholars who are writing about queer law, politics, and policy--topics which are no longer treated as of interest only to lesbians and gay men, but which now garner the attention of political theorists of all stripes. Playing With Fire--the first scholarly collection on queer politics by US political theorists--opens the intersection of lesbian and gay studies and political theory to a wide audience. It covers a wide range of issues, including: the theory of queer identities; the contrasts among ethnic, racial, and sexual identities; the debate between liberals and communitarians; the right to privacy; and the meaning of equal citizenship.

". . . innovative and important thinking about the various relations between feminist theory, queer theory, and lesbian theory, as well as the possibility that liberation can be mutual rather than mutually exclusive." —Lambda Book Report When feminism meets queer theory, no introductions seem necessary. The two share common political interests—a concern for women's and gay and lesbian rights—and many of the same academic and intellectual roots. And yet, they can also seem like strangers, needing mediation, translation, clarification. This volume focuses on the encounters of feminist and queer theories, on the ways in which basic terms such as "male" and "female," "man" and "woman," "black," "white," "sex," "gender," and "sexuality" change meaning as they move from one body of theory to another. Along with essays by Judith Butler, Evelynn Hammonds, Biddy Martin, Kim Michasiw, Carole-Anne Tyler, and Elizabeth Weed, there are interviews: Judith Butler engages Rosi Braidotti and Gayle Rubin in separate revealing discussions. And there are critical exchanges: Rosi Braidotti and Trevor Hope exchange comments on his reading of her work; and Teresa de Lauretis responds to Elizabeth Grosz's review of her recent book.